


Taciturn

by Scarlet_Trust



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alcohol, Betrayal, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Nureyev leaving, Other, Season 3, light on the comfort, sedatives, stream night, we can assume it'll all work out in the end?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Trust/pseuds/Scarlet_Trust
Summary: Juno should have noticed Nureyev was acting suspiciously the night he betrayed them. Funny how trust worked.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 69





	Taciturn

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! look at me actually writing something for this crazy podcast. Just a thought about how Nureyev's betrayal might pan out. Here's hoping this doesn't actually happen??
> 
> also! this story does have a blink and you'll miss it reference to domestic abuse, in regards to a past relationship. Just a heads up, keep yourself safe.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" 

Juno glared down at his comms, half expecting the slim plastic device to explode in his hands. Rita had shown him how to access the streams she had downloaded onto it. She'd even left him notes. But as Juno stared at the drawing of a rocket ship and a rabbit, he realized he idea what he was doing. 

Resisting the urge to throw the hateful device against the wall, Juno jabbed at the screen. "Come on you stupid thing," he hissed from between clenched teeth. The comm trilled, and the screen flashed. For a moment Juno actually had hope- until his contact screen appeared. ”Not what I asked you to do!”

"Have you considered saying please?”

"Oh shut up." Juno groused, glaring as he looked up from the taunting screen. Nureyev grinned, leaning against the door-frame as casual as you please. In his hands, he held a bottle of wine and two mugs. "Are you coming in or not?" 

"With a welcome like that? How could a gentleman refuse." Nureyev said, pressing a kiss to Juno's temple as he placed the wine on the bedside table. He held out a hand, gold rings flashing in the light. "Do you want me to look at it?”

"I got it!" Juno snapped, clutching the comms to his chest. He had said he was going to get better at the whole technology thing. Which meant he couldn't keep passing things off just because they were annoying him. 

However, In his frantic bid to hold onto his project, Juno felt his thumb slip. It pressed one of the buttons on the side of the comm. He cringed as the devices beeped merrily. Juno glared at the screen, already dreading the damage. He was not expecting to see the cheery title of his stream staring back at him. 

"Ha!" Juno crowed. "Told you I could do it." 

"That you did, Darling," Peter said. "Although I'm not entirely certain this counts."' 

"It absolutely does." Juno countered. He leaned back on his bed, actually looking up at his boyfriend for the first time. He could only think of one thing.”What the hell are you wearing?" 

Nureyev looked amazing- as always. Slim black pants and a forest green shirt made of a material so fine it looked sheer. It also clashed terribly with Juno's ratty old joggers. To be fair, Juno should have thrown them out ago. But they were comfy, and ideal for lounging in bed and watching streams. Which was the only plan for the evening. 

"Ahh, yes," Nureyev said ruefully as he looked down at his ensemble. "Could I convince you that this is my only clean outfit?" 

Juno laughed. "I've been inside your room babe. So yeah, I believe it." 

Nureyev laughed with him. But it was a beat too slow to be completely sincere. Juno felt like a git for teasing him. He reached out, grabbing Nureyev's hand and pulled him down for a kiss to make up for it. Nureyev let out a soft sigh, not hesitating to kiss him back. Juno could feel him smiling against his mouth. He could also feel those nimble fingers grabbing his comms. 

"Hey!" Juno cried. 

"Sorry darling, I'm afraid we don't have all night." Nureyev teased as he flicked on the comm's projector. the screen went black as the stream appeared on the white wall across from Juno's bed. 

"I would have gotten it eventually," Juno said, sounding petulant even to his own ears. 

"Eventually." Nureyev agreed, sitting down on the bed beside Juno. But he made no further move to relax. Normally he'd have flopped down onto the mattress, dragging Juno down with him. Instead, he remained perched on the edge as if looking for permission to stay. He stared at the paused stream, seemingly lost in thought. 

"What's up with you?" Juno finally asked, squeezing Nureyev's shoulder. "You're all tense.”

"Hmm?" Peter looked up, rubbing at the muscle that connected his neck and shoulders. "Nothing. It’s been a long week." 

"You're telling me," Juno said with a sympathetic groan. He shifted on the bed, sitting cross-legged. He tugged Nureyev down, resting the Thief's head in his lap. Juno ran his fingers through Nureyev's black hair, massaging his scalp. Nureyev's eyes fluttered closed with a moan. 

“You still nursing that headache?" Juno asked. "Stun hangovers are the worst." 

"They certainly don't get better with age. " Nureyev said, looking as if he had swallowed a lemon. Any progress Juno had made in getting him to relax was lost as Nureyev's shoulders grew level with his chin. 

"I don't remember them being good at any age. " Juno pointed out, brushing the tip of his finger down the side of Nureyev's neck. He tried not to feel too pleased with himself as his boyfriend shivered. "Stun blasts are nasty. Especially point-blank like that." 

Nureyev didn't reply. Juno knew he was still dwelling on their last mission. It wasn't an actual heist, just a basic information-gathering mission. Peter had gone in alone to sweet talk their mark. The man in question was an accountant for the Weapons Dealer they were actually looking for. It was the kind of con that Nureyev should have been able to run in his sleep. 

But something had gone wrong. 

The mark had spooked- pulling a blaster before any of them could react. Juno couldn't remember the last time he'd been that scared; watching from a screen as Nureyev just... crumbled. 

Juno's free hand clenched, twisting in the sheets of the bed. He pushed the thoughts away. It had all worked out in the end. Jet had caught up with the mark a few blocks away. He had managed to get the information they'd needed. Even if through less pleasant means than Nureyev would have. But the heavy hand approach risked announcing their intentions far earlier than intended. 

Buddy had not been subtle in her displeasure. Juno had never seen her that mad. It wasn't the fact the mission had gone wrong. Those things happened all the time. It was that Nureyev refused to say what had happened. All he had to offer were a few hollow apologies and a promise that it wouldn't happen again. Juno had tried to defend him, but it was difficult to deny what was becoming a pattern. Nureyev was distracted. And he was off his game.

After the meeting Nureyev had withdrawn in on himself, temper shorter than Juno had ever seen it. 

Juno had tried to reach out. He knew about Nureyev's debt problems, the invisible deadline that loomed over his head. They'd talked about it before. But Juno had only made things worse. Every conversation they had deteriorated into a shouting match. It had been a very long week. 

That wasn't just on Nureyev. It didn't matter that Juno was trying so hard to get better, to be better. He would never be the kind of person who could get snapped at without biting back.  
Eventually, Juno had given up, knowing he was doing more harm than good. He'd assumed it was better to just give Nureyev space. They hadn't talked much after that, sleeping in separate rooms for the first time in months. 

At least until tonight, when Nureyev had pulled him aside and apologized. Even better, he'd accepted Juno's in turn. Amazing what actual communication could do for a relationship.

It had been Nureyev's idea to have a stream night; just the two of them. It was too sweet of an offer to refuse. Juno was grateful for the chance to put this whole thing behind them. And maybe that was a bit premature. But they were working on it at least. That had to count for something. 

"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" Juno asked, hating how hesitant he sounded.

Nureyev sat up. He looked confused for a moment. Then his expression settled into something so tender that Juno had to fight the urge to look away. Nureyev pressed a hand to Juno's cheek, rubbing his thumb along the curve of his cheekbone. "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you." He murmured reverently. 

The tips of Juno's ear's grew warm. he bit down the urge to make a self-deprecatingly snide comment. 

Not that Nureyev gave him the chance as he kissed him, so soft and sweet that Juno couldn't help but fall into it. It was a long time before they broke apart. Both of them were out of breath. Nureyev's hand was a warm, steady weight on the back of Juno's neck as he pressed their foreheads together. "There's nothing wrong that can't wait until tomorrow." He said, so close that Juno could feel his lips moving. "Let's just enjoy our night, hmm?" 

"If you're sure," Juno said. He was hesitant to let this go, not when Nureyev was so close to finally admitting that something was wrong. But it sounded like he was willing to explain. Not right now maybe, but soon. And that was good enough. "We'll talk tomorrow?”

"Tomorrow." Nureyev agreed. "Turn on on the stream back on, won't you dear? I'll pour us some wine." 

"Hope you're ready for Mutant Mermaid's 3: Daughters of Neptune," Juno said unable to read the title with a straight face. "Rita downloaded it for us." 

"That sounds like it'll be... interesting," Peter said. Juno appreciated the amount of effort it took to sounded interested. Not that he could blame him.

"It'll be something alright. " Juno chuckled, taking a mug full of wine from Nureyev as they both settled on the bed. Juno had a sneaking hunch that Rita was trying to punish them for how tense the ship had been all week. The stream began to play, its upbeat synth soundtrack filling the room. "Love the glassware by the way, very classy." 

"Only the best for you." Nureyev teased. He leaned back into the mountain of cushions on Juno's bed. The pile seemed to multiply every time Juno left the room. "I figured stemware wasn't the best idea on the bed." 

"Yeah, good point" Juno curled into Peter's side, mug cradled between his hands. The dark mood from earlier had faded without a trace. No yelling, no slammed doors, or split lips. It was nice, even if Juno wasn't quite sure what to do with it. 

He rested his head on Nureyev's shoulder and peered down at his cup. The swirling ruby liquid stared back up at him. He and Nureyev generally didn't have the same taste in wine. So Juno was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be rich and dark- almost spicy. And incredibly familiar. "This tastes like the stuff we had on that restaurant on Anchises!" 

"You said that you liked it," Nureyev said. "I saw it when I was out yesterday. Thought we needed a treat.”

"You hated it." 

"I did not," Peter exclaimed as if insulted by the very thought. 

"You said it tasted like pencil shavings." Juno pointed out. 

"A common descriptor for this type of wine." Nureyev sniffed with all the grace of a disgruntled sommelier. "Which should tell you everything you need to know about the substance." 

"There it is." Juno teased. "Who knew the Nameless thief was such a sap." 

Peter preened at the comment. A proud fox sauntering out of the hen house with feathers caught in his teeth. "You love me anyway." 

"For some reason." Juno pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw, the only part of his partner he could reach at such an awkward angle. "Still. It's nice. You didn't have to." 

Peter blushed, a splash of colour that spread blotchily down from his cheeks to his collar. "Its the least I could do after the way I've been acting all week." 

"What? Being a sulky bastard?" Juno snorted into his wine cup. "I figured you'd come around.”

"Still, it wasn't fair to you. And for that I'm sorry." 

"Yeah, well- it's not like I wasn't being a total asshole too," Juno said, rolling his good eye. "Its fine Nureyev. We're good." 

Nureyev hummed a soft inquisitive sound. "I have to admit, I assumed I'd have to work harder for my Lady's forgiveness," he said finally. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" 

"I don't know. Just thinking." 

"About?" 

"Us, I guess. We've all been fighting all week. And I realized that I wasn't scared, you know?" Juno tucked his legs up underneath himself, taking a bracing swing of his drink. "I knew we'd be good, once you got your head out your ass. And I'm not used to that feeling. All my other relationships would have fallen apart.”

Nureyev didn't reply. And Juno didn't need him to as his thief wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. Nureyev's grip was a little too tight to be strictly comfortable. But as Nureyev rested his head onto Juno's, he knew he wouldn't change a thing. They fell into an easy silence, watching the stream. It was terrible. But Juno found himself being sucked into the plot. He watched, bemused, as the mutant mermaids broke out of a laboratory to wreak havoc on Neptune. Where did Rita find these ridiculous streams? 

The wine was making him feel loose-limbed and warm, the world fading pleasantly around the edges. It wasn't long before his mug was empty. The bottle was on his bedside table, still half full. The Carte Blanche was traveling through space. It would be several days before they reached their next destination. Neither of them somewhere to be tomorrow. There was no harm in pouring another glass. He detangled himself from Peter's octopus-like grip and stood up.  
Only to sit back down again as the world spun violently. 

"What the hell." Juno groaned, closing his eye. He dropped his head into his hands. The vertigo didn't stop. The bed lurched underneath him in a way a single glass of wine couldn't begin to justify. 

Something was very wrong.

It was difficult to pull his thoughts together. Juno tried to get Nureyev's attention. But even concentrating long enough to speak was almost impossible. His thoughts felt as slippery as martian sand. He slumped backward into Nureyev's side, grateful for something stable to lean against. What was going on? 

"Nureyev." He finally managed to slur, the familiar syllables thick and clumsy in his mouth. "The wine. Something's wrong." 

The wine had been tampered with. That much was obvious. But with what? A Tranq? Poison? It didn't matter. They needed to get to Vespa, now. 

How did someone find them? Was the rest of the crew in danger? Questions whirled in Juno’s mind, flashing brightly before they disappeared into the chaos. 

"Nureyev!" Nureyev didn't respond. At that moment, Juno feared the worst. The man was so skinny, he would be hit faster by whatever was in the wine faster than Juno. Juno turned around, panicked and desperate to see his face. 

But Nureyev seemed fine. The flickering light of the stream cast his angular face in sharp relief. But he didn't look sick or scared or even concerned. He hadn't even asked if Juno was okay. He just seemed resigned. 

Juno's gaze flipped back to the bottle of wine sitting on the table. Then he realized that Nureyev's mug still sat beside it, full of the wine that Nureyev hated. The one he had only bought because it was Juno's favourite. Because it had a strong enough flavour to mask anything that you into it.

Some detective he was. 

“Get your damn hands off me!" Juno snarled. He lurched forward, desperate to get off the bed, and away from Nureyev. How could he have been so stupid? Nureyev let him go, arms falling limp to his sides. Not that it mattered. Whatever Nureyev had dosed him with was acting quick. Juno's knees buckled as soon as his socked feet hit the floor. 

Two arms guided Juno down to the floor, and Nureyev was all over him. Juno tried to pull away. But the thief wouldn't budge as he wrapped Juno tight in his arms. It shouldn't have been a struggle. Nureyev may have taller, but Juno was a hell of a lot stronger. but it felt as if his muscles had all but turned to Jello. 

"Shhhhh." Nureyev hushed in his ear as he pulled Juno into his lap. He stroked Juno's hair, looking for all the world like his heart was the one that was breaking. The bastard. "It's okay. you're alright." 

Juno could barely move. Panic clutched at his chest as the icy numbness spread outwards from fingers and toes. He pushed the fear down- trying to focus on being angry. Even then, he only wanted to know why. Why was Nureyev doing this? Why now? He tried to ask, but all that came out was a pitiful whine.

Peter made a chocked sound. "It's okay. You're okay." he soothed. It was like has talking to a spooked rabbit and not the girlfriend he'd just poisoned. "Its a sedative, Love. You'll be fine, I promise." 

The words were cracked and broken. They tumbled over themselves as the ever eloquent Peter Nureyev rambled. "Don't fight it. Please." He pulled Juno closer, one hand cradling the back of Juno's head, pressing it into the bone of his shoulder. "For once in your life, Juno, just let go.”

He was holding Juno tightly enough to bruise. But Juno couldn't feel anything more than vague pressure. The world was starting to go grey at the edges. Even the anger was beginning to slip away. Juno knew he should feel hurt. But those feelings were dull and faded, sucked into the void that had always lurked in the back of Juno's mind. The one that had finally felt like it was starting close. He felt empty, hollow. 

"That man. the one who stunned me." Peter murmured in Juno's ear, "They sent him to tell me I was out of time." 

Nureyev's words faded in and out of focus like a broken radio. Juno didn't even know if he wanted to listen anymore. It was taking all his effort to keep his eyes open. Juno's looked over Nureyev's shoulder. He could see a heavy duffel bag tucked between the dresser and the door. it looked full, bulging with more than clothes. Juno was certain he could see the shape of the globe pressed against the zipper. 

How long had he been planning this? One last perfect night, a final Judas kiss. 

"I can't stay here.” Everything was going dark now. Nureyev buried his face in Juno's hair. "They'll hurt you to get to me. I can't let that happen. I couldn’t let you follow me, my brilliant detective. Please understand. This was the only way”

Juno focused on the feeling of Nureyev's arm around him. It was so easy to pretend that this wasn't happening. Juno was just falling asleep. When woke he up, Nureyev would still be beside him, haired mussed and glasses askew. But the universe was never so kind. 

Nureyev lowered him to ground, so gentle that Juno wanted to scream. Why was this so much worse than a knife in the dark. 

Nureyev pressed a kiss to Juno's temple. His lips lingered there as something warm dripped onto Juno's cheeks. "I love you. Juno steel. More than anything, don't ever doubt that." 

Then he was gone. Juno's eyes closed, his world fading to grey. The last thing he heard was the hiss of his door opening, and the sound of his heart shattering as it closed.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comment if you liked it, you'll make my day i promise.  
> Thanks for reading


End file.
